News Item: UNESCO report released “Behind the Numbers: Ending School Violence and Bullying”

This latest report, published in January 2019, builds on the findings presented in UNESCO's summary report from October 2018. This publication provides an overview of the most up-to-date evidence on school violence and bullying, including global and regional prevalence and trends from the HBSC study and GSHS survey, and of evidence from successful national responses to school violence and bullying. Key findings include:

Almost one in three students (32%) has been bullied by their peers at school at least once in the last month. In all regions except Europe and North America, physical bullying is the most common and sexual bullying is the second most common type of bullying. In Europe and North America, psychological bullying is the most common type of bullying. Cyberbullying affects as many as one in ten children. More than one in three students (36%) has been involved in a physical fight with another student and almost one in three (32.4%) has been physically attacked at least once in the past year. Information about sexual violence perpetrated by peers is limited but evidence from sub-Saharan Africa suggests that a schoolmate is more likely to be the perpetrator than a teacher, especially for boys.

Globally, physical violence perpetrated by teachers is uncommon but, in some countries, children report high levels of physical violence at the hands of their teachers. Corporal punishment, which is a form of physical violence, is still allowed in schools in 68 countries and is frequently used in many of these countries.

School violence and bullying affects both girls and boys, but there are differences between the sexes. Boys are more likely to have been involved in a physical fight and to have been physically attacked than girls. Physical bullying is more common among boys than among girls, while the opposite is true for psychological bullying. Age is also a factor. As children grow older, they are less likely to be bullied, to be involved in a physical fight or to be physically attacked. In contrast, older students appear to be more at risk of cyberbullying than younger students